We propose a multi-scale stochastic volatility model in which a fast mean-reverting factor of volatility is built on top of the Heston stochastic volatility model. A singular pertubative expansion is then used to obtain an approximation for European option prices. The resulting pricing formulas are semi-analytic, in the sense that they can be expressed as integrals. Difficulties associated with the numerical evaluation of these integrals are discussed, and techniques for avoiding these difficulties are provided. Overall, it is shown that computational complexity for our model is comparable to the case of a pure Heston model, but our correction brings significant flexibility in terms of fitting to the implied volatility surface. This is illustrated numerically and with option data.
We introduce a class of randomly time-changed fast mean-reverting stochastic volatility models and, using spectral theory and singular perturbation techniques, we derive an approximation for the prices of European options in this setting. Three examples of random time-changes are provided and the implied volatility surfaces induced by these time-changes are examined as a function of the model parameters. Three key features of our framework are that we are able to incorporate jumps into the price process of the underlying asset, allow for the leverage effect, and accommodate multiple factors of…
Using spectral decomposition techniques and singular perturbation theory, we develop a systematic method to approximate the prices of a variety of options in a fast mean-reverting stochastic volatility setting. Four examples are provided in order to demonstrate the versatility of our method. These include: European options, up-and-out options, double-barrier knock-out options, and options which pay a rebate upon hitting a boundary. For European options, our method is shown to produce option price approximations which are equivalent to those developed in [5]. [5] Jean-Pierre Fouque, George Papa…
This paper investigates problems associated with the valuation of callable American volatility put options. Our approach involves modeling volatility dynamics as a mean-reverting 3/2 volatility process. We first propose a pricing formula for the perpetual American knock-out put. Under the given conditions, the value of perpetual callable American volatility put options is discussed.
In this paper we prove an approximate formula expressed in terms of elementary functions for the implied volatility in the Heston model. The formula consists of the constant and first order terms in the large maturity expansion of the implied volatility function. The proof is based on saddlepoint methods and classical properties of holomorphic functions.
In industrial applications it is quite common to use stochastic volatility models driven by semi-martingale Markov volatility processes. However, in order to fit exactly market volatilities, these models are usually extended by adding a local volatility term. Here, we consider the case of singular Volterra processes, and we extend them by adding a local-volatility term to their Markov lift by preserving the stylized results implied by these models on plain-vanilla options. In particular, we focus on the rough-Heston model, and we analyze the small time asymptotics of its implied local-volatili…
In this short note, we prove by an appropriate change of variables that the SVI implied volatility parameterization presented in Gatheral's book and the large-time asymptotic of the Heston implied volatility agree algebraically, thus confirming a conjecture from Gatheral as well as providing a simpler expression for the asymptotic implied volatility in the Heston model. We show how this result can help in interpreting SVI parameters.
The Heston stochastic volatility model is a standard model for valuing financial derivatives, since it can be calibrated using semi-analytical formulas and captures the most basic structure of the market for financial derivatives with simple structure in time-direction. However, extending the model to the case of time-dependent parameters, which would allow for a parametrization of the market at multiple timepoints, proves more challenging. We present a simple and numerically efficient approach to the calibration of the Heston stochastic volatility model with piecewise constant parameters. We …
A parsimonious generalization of the Heston model is proposed where the volatility-of-volatility is assumed to be stochastic. We follow the perturbation technique of Fouque et al (2011, CUP) to derive a first order approximation of the price of options on a stock and its volatility index. This approximation is given by Heston's quasi-closed formula and some of its Greeks. It can be very efficiently calculated since it requires to compute only Fourier integrals and the solution of simple ODE systems. We exemplify the calibration of the model with S&P 500 and VIX data.
We consider Heston's (1993) stochastic volatility model for valuation of European options to which (semi) closed form solutions are available and are given in terms of characteristic functions. We prove that the class of scale-parameter distributions with mean being the forward spot price satisfies Heston's solution. Thus, we show that any member of this class could be used for the direct risk-neutral valuation of the option price under Heston's SV model. In fact, we also show that any RND with mean being the forward spot price that satisfies Hestons' option valuation solution, must be a membe…
Recent empirical studies suggest that the volatilities associated with financial time series exhibit short-range correlations. This entails that the volatility process is very rough and its autocorrelation exhibits sharp decay at the origin. Another classic stylistic feature often assumed for the volatility is that it is mean reverting. In this paper it is shown that the price impact of a rapidly mean reverting rough volatility model coincides with that associated with fast mean reverting Markov stochastic volatility models. This reconciles the empirical observation of rough volatility paths w…
Rough volatility models are known to reproduce the behavior of historical volatility data while at the same time fitting the volatility surface remarkably well, with very few parameters. However, managing the risks of derivatives under rough volatility can be intricate since the dynamics involve fractional Brownian motion. We show in this paper that surprisingly enough, explicit hedging strategies can be obtained in the case of rough Heston models. The replicating portfolios contain the underlying asset and the forward variance curve, and lead to perfect hedging (at least theoretically). From …
We propose a randomised version of the Heston model-a widely used stochastic volatility model in mathematical finance-assuming that the starting point of the variance process is a random variable. In such a system, we study the small-and large-time behaviours of the implied volatility, and show that the proposed randomisation generates a short-maturity smile much steeper (`with explosion') than in the standard Heston model, thereby palliating the deficiency of classical stochastic volatility models in short time. We precisely quantify the speed of explosion of the smile for short maturities in…
It is known that Heston's stochastic volatility model exhibits moment explosion, and that the critical moment $s_+$ can be obtained by solving (numerically) a simple equation. This yields a leading order expansion for the implied volatility at large strikes: $σ_{BS}( k,T)^{2}T\sim Ψ(s_+-1) \times k$ (Roger Lee's moment formula). Motivated by recent "tail-wing" refinements of this moment formula, we first derive a novel tail expansion for the Heston density, sharpening previous work of Dragulescu and Yakovenko [Quant. Finance 2, 6 (2002), 443--453], and then show the validity of a refined expan…
We study here the large-time behaviour of all continuous affine stochastic volatility models (in the sense of Keller-Ressel) and deduce a closed-form formula for the large-maturity implied volatility smile. Based on refinements of the Gartner-Ellis theorem on the real line, our proof reveals pathological behaviours of the asymptotic smile. In particular, we show that the condition assumed in Gatheral and Jacquier under which the Heston implied volatility converges to the SVI parameterisation is necessary and sufficient.
In this paper we investigate general linear stochastic volatility models with correlated Brownian noises. In such models the asset price satisfies a linear SDE with coefficient of linearity being the volatility process. This class contains among others Black-Scholes model, a log-normal stochastic volatility model and Heston stochastic volatility model. For a linear stochastic volatility model we derive representations for the probability density function of the arbitrage price of a financial asset and the prices of European call and put options. A closed-form formulae for the density function …
Stochastic volatility models have existed in Option pricing theory ever since the crash of 1987 which violated the Black-Scholes model assumption of constant volatility. Heston model is one such stochastic volatility model that is widely used for volatility estimation and option pricing. In this paper, we design a novel method to estimate parameters of Heston model under state-space representation using Bayesian filtering theory and Posterior Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (PCRLB), integrating it with Normal Maximum Likelihood Estimation (NMLE) proposed in [1]. Several Bayesian filters like Extended K…
We present an option pricing formula for European options in a stochastic volatility model. In particular, the volatility process is defined using a fractional integral of a diffusion process and both the stock price and the volatility processes have jumps in order to capture the market effect known as leverage effect. We show how to compute a martingale representation for the volatility process. Finally, using Itô calculus for processes with discontinuous trajectories, we develop a first order approximation formula for option prices. There are two main advantages in the usage of such approxim…
We study the asymptotic behavior of distribution densities arising in stock price models with stochastic volatility. The main objects of our interest in the present paper are the density of time averages of the squared volatility process and the density of the stock price process in the Stein-Stein and the Heston model. We find explicit formulas for leading terms in asymptotic expansions of these densities and give error estimates. As an application of our results, sharp asymptotic formulas for the implied volatility in the Stein-Stein and the Heston model are obtained.
In this paper, we study stochastic volatility models in regimes where the maturity is small, but large compared to the mean-reversion time of the stochastic volatility factor. The problem falls in the class of averaging/homogenization problems for nonlinear HJB-type equations where the "fast variable" lives in a noncompact space. We develop a general argument based on viscosity solutions which we apply to the two regimes studied in the paper. We derive a large deviation principle, and we deduce asymptotic prices for out-of-the-money call and put options, and their corresponding implied volatil…
When dealing with Heston's stochastic volatility model, the change of measure from the subjective measure P to the objective measure Q is usually investigated under the assumption that the Feller condition is satisfied. This paper closes this gap in the literature by deriving sufficient conditions for the existence of an equivalent (local) martingale measure in the Heston model when the Feller condition is violated. We also supplement the existing literature by the case of a finite lifetime of the Laplace transform of the integrated volatility process. Moreover, we deduce conditions for the st…
The Heston model stands out from the class of stochastic volatility (SV) models mainly for two reasons. Firstly, the process for the volatility is non-negative and mean-reverting, which is what we observe in the markets. Secondly, there exists a fast and easily implemented semi-analytical solution for European options. In this article we adapt the original work of Heston (1993) to a foreign exchange (FX) setting. We discuss the computational aspects of using the semi-analytical formulas, performing Monte Carlo simulations, checking the Feller condition, and option pricing with FFT. In an empir…
We provide a full characterisation of the large-maturity forward implied volatility smile in the Heston model. Although the leading decay is provided by a fairly classical large deviations behaviour, the algebraic expansion providing the higher-order terms highly depends on the parameters, and different powers of the maturity come into play. As a by-product of the analysis we provide new implied volatility asymptotics, both in the forward case and in the spot case, as well as extended SVI-type formulae. The proofs are based on extensions and refinements of sharp large deviations theory, in par…
Following Boukai (2021) we present the Generalized Gamma (GG) distribution as a possible RND for modeling European options prices under Heston's (1993) stochastic volatility (SV) model. This distribution is seen as especially useful in situations in which the spot's price follows a negatively skewed distribution and hence, Black-Scholes based (i.e. the log-normal distribution) modeling is largely inapt. We apply the GG distribution as RND to modeling current market option data on three large market-index ETFs, namely the SPY, IWM and QQQ as well as on the TLT (an ETF that tracks an index of lo…
This paper presents a methodology to introduce time-dependent parameters for a wide family of models preserving their analytic tractability. This family includes hybrid models with stochastic volatility, stochastic interest-rates, jumps and their non-hybrid counterparts. The methodology is applied to Heston's model. A bootstrapping algorithm is presented for calibration. A case study works out the calibration of the time-dependent parameters to the volatility surface of the Eurostoxx 50 index. The methodology is also applied to the analytic valuation of forward start vanilla options driven by …
In the classical model of stock prices which is assumed to be Geometric Brownian motion, the drift and the volatility of the prices are held constant. However, in reality, the volatility does vary. In quantitative finance, the Heston model has been successfully used where the volatility is expressed as a stochastic differential equation. In addition, we consider a regime switching model where the stock volatility dynamics depends on an underlying process which is possibly a non-Markov pure jump process. Under this model assumption, we find the locally risk minimizing pricing of European type v…
In this paper an improved Cuckoo Search Algorithm is developed to allow for an efficient and robust calibration of the Heston option pricing model for American options. Calibration of stochastic volatility models like the Heston is significantly harder than classical option pricing models as more parameters have to be estimated. The difficult task of calibrating one of these models to American Put options data is the main objective of this paper. Numerical results are shown to substantiate the suitability of the chosen method to tackle this problem.
We study the fair strike of a discrete variance swap for a general time-homogeneous stochastic volatility model. In the special cases of Heston, Hull-White and Schobel-Zhu stochastic volatility models we give simple explicit expressions (improving Broadie and Jain (2008a) in the case of the Heston model). We give conditions on parameters under which the fair strike of a discrete variance swap is higher or lower than that of the continuous variance swap. The interest rate and the correlation between the underlying price and its volatility are key elements in this analysis. We derive asymptotics…
This paper proposes a hybrid credit risk model, in closed form, to price vulnerable options with stochastic volatility. The distinctive features of the model are threefold. First, both the underlying and the option issuer's assets follow the Heston-Nandi GARCH model with their conditional variance being readily estimated and implemented solely on the basis of the observable prices in the market. Second, the model incorporates both idiosyncratic and systematic risks into the asset dynamics of the underlying and the option issuer, as well as the intensity process. Finally, the explicit pricing f…
We introduce a novel multi-factor Heston-based stochastic volatility model, which is able to reproduce consistently typical multi-dimensional FX vanilla markets, while retaining the (semi)-analytical tractability typical of affine models and relying on a reasonable number of parameters. A successful joint calibration to real market data is presented together with various in- and out-of-sample calibration exercises to highlight the robustness of the parameters estimation. The proposed model preserves the natural inversion and triangulation symmetries of FX spot rates and its functional form, ir…
In this paper, a time substitution as used by Duru and Kleinert in their treatment of the hydrogen atom with path integrals is performed to price timer options under stochastic volatility models. We present general pricing formulas for both the perpetual timer call options and the finite time-horizon timer call options. These general results allow us to find closed-form pricing formulas for both the perpetual and the finite time-horizon timer options under the 3/2 stochastic volatility model as well as under the Heston stochastic volatility model. For the treatment of timer option under the 3/…
We consider a stochastic volatility model where the moment generating function of the logarithmic price is finite only on part of the real line. Using a new Tauberian result obtained in [1] and [2], we show that the knowledge of the moment generating function near its critical moment gives a sharp asymptotic expansion (with an error of order o(1)) of the local volatility and implied volatility for small and large strikes. We apply our theoretical estimates to Gatheral's SVI parametrization of the implied volatility and Heston's model.
Most models for barrier pricing are designed to let a market maker tune the model-implied covariance between moves in the asset spot price and moves in the implied volatility skew. This is often implemented with a local volatility/stochastic volatility mixture model, where the mixture parameter tunes that covariance. This paper defines an alternate model where the spot/volatility correlation is a separate mean-reverting stochastic variable which is itself correlated with spot. We also develop an efficient approximation for barrier option and one touch pricing in the model based on semi-static …
Valuing Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (GMWB) has attracted significant attention from both the academic field and real world financial markets. As remarked by Yang and Dai, the Black and Scholes framework seems to be inappropriate for such a long maturity products. Also Chen Vetzal and Forsyth in showed that the price of these products is very sensitive to interest rate and volatility parameters. We propose here to use a stochastic volatility model (Heston model) and a Black Scholes model with stochastic interest rate (Hull White model). For this purpose we present four numerical metho…
We present a discrete time stochastic volatility model in which the conditional distribution of the logreturns is a Variance-Gamma, that is a normal variance-mean mixture with Gamma mixing density. We assume that the Gamma mixing density is time varying and follows an affine Garch model, trying to capture persistence of volatility shocks and also higher order conditional dynamics in a parsimonious way. We select an equivalent martingale measure by means of the conditional Esscher transform as in Buhlmann et al. (1996) and show that this change of measure leads to a similar dynamics of the mixi…
The aim of this work is to introduce a new stochastic volatility model for equity derivatives. To overcome some of the well-known problems of the Heston model, and more generally of the affine models, we define a new specification for the dynamics of the stock and its volatility. Within this framework we develop all the key elements to perform the pricing of vanilla European options as well as of volatility derivatives. We clarify the conditions under which the stock price is a martingale and illustrate how the model can be implemented.
We consider stochastic control systems affected by a fast mean reverting volatility $Y(t)$ driven by a pure jump Lévy process. Motivated by a large literature on financial models, we assume that $Y(t)$ evolves at a faster time scale $\frac{t}{\varepsilon}$ than the assets, and we study the asymptotics as $\varepsilon\to 0$. This is a singular perturbation problem that we study mostly by PDE methods within the theory of viscosity solutions.
We study the dependence of volatility on the stock price in the stochastic volatility framework on the example of the Heston model. To be more specific, we consider the conditional expectation of variance (square of volatility) under fixed stock price return as a function of the return and time. The behavior of this function depends on the initial stock price return distribution density. In particular, we show that the graph of the conditional expectation of variance is convex downwards near the mean value of the stock price return. For the Gaussian distribution this effect is strong, but it w…
In this paper we investigate the asymptotics of forward-start options and the forward implied volatility smile in the Heston model as the maturity approaches zero. We prove that the forward smile for out-of-the-money options explodes and compute a closed-form high-order expansion detailing the rate of the explosion. Furthermore the result shows that the square-root behaviour of the variance process induces a singularity such that for certain parameter configurations one cannot obtain high-order out-of-the-money forward smile asymptotics. In the at-the-money case a separate model-independent an…
In this article, we propose an exact simulation method of the Wishart multidimensional stochastic volatility (WMSV) model, which was recently introduced by Da Fonseca et al. \cite{DGT08}. Our method is based onanalysis of the conditional characteristic function of the log-price given volatility level. In particular, we found an explicit expression for the conditional characteristic function for the Heston model. We perform numerical experiments to demonstrate the performance and accuracy of our method. As a result of numerical experiments, it is shown that our new method is much faster and rel…
In this paper, we consider the problem of pricing discretely-sampled variance swaps based on a hybrid model of stochastic volatility and stochastic interest rate with regime-switching. Our modelling framework extends the Heston stochastic volatility model by including the CIR stochastic interest rate and model parameters that switch according to a continuous-time observable Markov chain process. A semi-closed form pricing formula for variance swaps is derived. The pricing formula is assessed through numerical implementations, and the impact of including regime-switching on pricing variance swa…
We prove a large deviations principle for the class of multidimensional affine stochastic volatility models considered in (Gourieroux, C. and Sufana, R., J. Bus. Econ. Stat., 28(3), 2010), where the volatility matrix is modelled by a Wishart process. This class extends the very popular Heston model to the multivariate setting, thus allowing to model the joint behaviour of a basket of stocks or several interest rates. We then use the large deviation principle to obtain an asymptotic approximation for the implied volatility of basket options and to develop an asymptotically optimal importance sa…
Rough volatility models are very appealing because of their remarkable fit of both historical and implied volatilities. However, due to the non-Markovian and non-semimartingale nature of the volatility process, there is no simple way to simulate efficiently such models, which makes risk management of derivatives an intricate task. In this paper, we design tractable multi-factor stochastic volatility models approximating rough volatility models and enjoying a Markovian structure. Furthermore, we apply our procedure to the specific case of the rough Heston model. This in turn enables us to deriv…
We propose a model to quantify the effect of parameter uncertainty on the option price in the Heston model. More precisely, we present a Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman framework which allows us to evaluate best and worst case scenarios under an uncertain market price of volatility risk. For the numerical approximation the Hamilton--Jacobi--Bellman equation is reformulated to enable the solution with a finite element method. A case study with butterfly options exhibits how the dependence of Delta on the magnitude of the uncertainty is nonlinear and highly varied across the parameter regime. Keywords: …
